Though Pakistani officials have claimed that Hakimullah’s eventual death, if confirmed, would be a “fatal blow” to the organization, it remains unclear if this would be this case. Though he has been the TTP leader long enough to die seven times, it has only been about six months since he took over for Baitullah Mehsud, who was slain in an August drone strike. Baitullah’s death was likewise predicted to be the beginning of the end for the TTP, but the group has if anything grown bolder and a bigger threat, orchestrating a massive attack against a CIA base in Afghanistan in December.